


The one where Sara really needs to stop pushing Ava through portals

by AvaHasAClosetMurderBoard



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Ava needs patience, F/F, Fluff, Pre-Relationship, Sara needs a bell, Secret santa fic but like 2 months later, Time Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:55:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22649770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvaHasAClosetMurderBoard/pseuds/AvaHasAClosetMurderBoard
Summary: '“I had the situation under control, thank you very much - that is until a certain someone came flying out of nowhere.” Ava crosses her arms above her chest, her glare only intensifying the longer they keep eye contact. “At this point I feel like I should just put a bell on you.”Sara shoots her a challenging look, lips quirking in amusement. “I wouldn’t try, if I were you. That is, unless you want to lose a hand… Or maybe an arm.”'orThe one where Sara and Ava get stranded and that's really not how Sara had planned to spend her birthday at all.(For the Avalance 4ever holiday exchange 2019)
Relationships: Sara Lance & Ava Sharpe, Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe
Comments: 16
Kudos: 197
Collections: Avalance 4ever 2019 holiday exchange





	The one where Sara really needs to stop pushing Ava through portals

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LanceALotz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LanceALotz/gifts).



> So hey @LanceALotz, happy late holidays! Here's your secret santa fic, hope you like it even if it doesn't match the prompt you gave me 100% <3 (and it's like... 2 months later :'D )
> 
> I'm honestly still laughing that I got you of all people :* eheh 
> 
> A big thanks to @Starling83 for the beta on this <3 
> 
> Hope it's a bit enjoyable regardless of lateness and silliness :P

**Prompt 3: Sara and Ava get lost and have to find refuge in the middle of a snow blizzard on Christmas day (which also happens to be Sara's bday)**

**

  
  


“You have got to be  _ kidding me _ ,'' is the first thing that Sara utters between clenched teeth as she takes in her surroundings. Her eyes had finally managed to adjust to the blinding light that had suddenly assaulted her vision the moment she’d pushed one infuriating _ Ava Sharpe _ through the portal - in front of her the white landscape stretches as far as the eye can see, and probably even further than that. Subconsciously, she feels a shiver down her spine at the sight, even though the adrenaline from the fight and the impending danger they’d just escaped from is still very much coursing through her veins. 

Under her, something - or rather  _ someone  _ \- shifts and groans and when Sara looks down she is met with the unforgettable scowl of Agent Sharpe. 

“Are you going to move or do I have to make you?” she asks, eyebrow perfectly raised in challenge. Sara raises one of hers in return almost immediately, a teasing smirk in full display on her lips. “I don’t know… I’m quite comfortable right now.”

There’s an eye roll and then she’s being harshly shoved to the side, her left side making full contact with surprisingly dry ground a full second later. She lets out a groan and her gaze focuses on Ava, who’s now standing and busying herself with brushing the dust out of her perfect pantsuit. Sara rolls her eyes.

She makes to sit up and scans her surroundings once again, blue eyes landing again on the agent. “So…”, she begins, “Any idea where we are?”

Ava shoots her a glare. “Not really, since someone just  _ had  _ to push me through the portal  _ before  _ I had the time to finish inputting the right coordinates.” 

“You’re very welcome, by the way.”

“Oh yeah? For what? Landing us in the middle of nowhere?”

“ _ No _ ,” Sara scoffs. “For your intact limbs. That thing would have torn you to shreds if I hadn’t pushed you away when I did.” 

“I had the situation under control,  _ thank you very much  _ \- that is until a certain  _ someone  _ came flying out of nowhere _. _ ” Ava crosses her arms above her chest, her glare only intensifying the longer they keep eye contact. “At this point I feel like I should just put a bell on you.”

Sara shoots her a challenging look, lips quirking in amusement. “I wouldn’t try, if I were you. That is, unless you want to lose a hand… Or maybe an arm.”

Ava rolls her eyes and turns her back on Sara then, annoyance evident in her voice as she seems to check the time courier on her wrist. “I’ll just get us out of here before we kill each other-  _ ugh!  _ You  _ have got to be kidding me! _ ” 

She turns around suddenly, looking just as exasperated as she sounds, eyes shooting daggers towards Sara. “It’s broken. My time courier. You  _ broke it  _ when you landed on me, you idiot!”

By now Sara is completely  _ fuming  _ at this woman’s attitude, and they throw a few more insults back and forth before she stands up and loudly announces, “I don’t know about you but I’m going to get out of this cold and find shelter somewhere.”

An indignant sound, immediately followed by a  _ ‘are you crazy? We should stay put so they can find us’  _ escapes Ava’s mouth, but Sara doesn’t even bother to dignify it with an answer. Her eyes focus solely on the surrounding area, and after no more than a few seconds of consideration, all she’s hearing is the crush of snow underneath her boots and the sound of her own breath as she moves towards what she assumes is the north. There’s something, tugging insistently at the edge of her mind, that’s telling her that maybe she shouldn’t leave Ava behind - luckily she doesn’t have to consider turning around and dragging the other woman along when the sound of hesitant footsteps reaches her ears.

She chances a glance behind herself and catches Ava making a face every time her foot makes contact with the wet snow - serves her right for wearing open shoes on the field. 

“Do you need me to carry you bridal style, Agent Sharpe?”, she throws back over her shoulder.

It’s impossible to miss the death glare shot her way, despite the distance. _ “Go to hell.”  _

**

They walk aimlessly through the white landscape, in search of a place to make camp. Sara’s legs have started to burn from the effort of cutting them a path through the deeper snow, and she’s almost sure Ava’s feet must be close to becoming ice cubes - if they’re not already. At least the woman is doing a pretty good job of not complaining about it, which Sara is very much thankful for, after all the bickering and disagreements. The silence is a welcome companion, especially now that the sun has started to dip down towards the thick trees, signaling the passage of time and the impending end of the day. 

This was really not how Sara had pictured spending her Christmas - and her birthday - at all.

The tall trees cast a looming shadow over them as they reach the edge of the forest, and Sara can’t help the sigh of relief that escapes her lips the second her boots make contact with dry ground. Behind her she hears Ava having a similar reaction, and when she chances a glance over her shoulder, she finds the other woman attempting to rub some warmth back into her feet. 

She’s not sure why that makes her heart twist  _ just so  _ in guilt; even less sure why she suddenly feels the need to actually  _ care _ . 

But she’s the captain right? And that’s what captains do - they care for their crew. Except Ava is  _ really not  _ part of her crew, of her mismatched little family, and Sara should really care less about the stuck-up agent who’s more of a pain in her ass than anything else. 

But she cares, somehow, even if she tells herself that the only reason she’s now looking twice as hard for a place for them to rest is because she’s cold and her pants are completely soaked through from her calves down. 

Nothing more.

Absolutely nothing  _ more. _

**

There’s barely any natural light left when Sara finally spots what appears to be a cabin in a small clearing. She turns around suddenly, back against a nearby tree, and signals for Ava to do the same. The other woman surprisingly follows her lead, but soon they’re both face to face, all because  _ a certain someone  _ has decided that the nearest tree, practically glued to the one Sara’s hiding behind, was the best option.

“Couldn’t you have picked another tree to hide behind?”, she harshly whispers. “If we were to get ambushed now we wouldn’t see anyone coming with you blocking the view.”

Ava rolls her eyes. “Oh, get over yourself.” She gestures in the general direction of the cabin. “There’s no smoke coming from it and no light streaming through the windows; not to mention the front is completely barred off. Chances are the place is  _ pretty empty  _ and you’d notice that if you were not so busy being  _ an idiot.  _ Sometimes I do wonder how you even became an assassin-”

“Well  _ excuse me _ , Miss Bureau, for being  _ cautious. _ ” Sara cuts her off before Ava can insult her ego any further, and pushes herself away from the tree. She shoots one last glare towards Ava and then starts to move towards the cabin, all while mentally berating herself for indeed not noticing the little obvious things that the agent pointed out about the place. 

Damn Miss Perfection and her observational capacities.

Still, it’s better to be safe than sorry, so Sara still approaches the cabin with caution, one hand posed just above where one of her bo staffs rests. She takes her sweet time circling the place, eyes scanning for any shred of danger, and even if thicker flurries of snow have begun falling from the sky, she doesn’t rush her observations. When she’s satisfied that nothing is going to jump out and attack them, she relaxes her body. 

She finds Ava by the closed-off door, arms stubbornly crossed above her chest and sporting an unamused expression on her face. “Are you done or do you want to also canvas the area surrounding this place in say… a ten-mile radius? You know,  _ just to be safe. _ ” 

Sara bites down the retort dancing on the tip of her tongue and fights the urge to just flip the woman off. She’s tired and really not in the mood to start  _ yet another  _ argument, so she just reaches for her bo staff, extends it, and begins prying open the wooden boards that are blocking their access to the front door. Beside her, Ava looks slightly taken aback that Sara has chosen to stay quiet but fortunately chooses not to comment on it. Instead she extends her right hand towards Sara, who pauses on her work to hand Ava her other bo staff. 

They work together in silence as the snow falls all around them. 

**

The inside of the cabin is surprisingly tidy. 

There’s only a fine layer of dust on the rustic and sparse furniture, which leads Sara to believe the place hasn’t been abandoned for that long; not to mention the couch facing the small fireplace looks worn out, like it has been well used. She’s not sure why all that only serves to put her more on edge about the place - of course it’s not helping that Ava has taken upon herself to open and close  _ every single cabinet and drawer _ in the place while they were supposed to be as quiet as possible, at least until they were  _ absolutely sure  _ the cabin was indeed empty. 

“This place is surprisingly well stocked.” Ava points out as she pulls open yet another cabinet’s doors. “My guess? This is someone’s little winter retreat.” She pulls out a small can and brings it closer to her face, carefully inspecting the label on it. Sara just watches. “Well the good news is that this stuff looks pretty modern, so we haven’t been stranded too far off in time. That should make it easier for Gary to find us.”

Sara scoffs at that and crosses her arms over her chest. “If we are relying on  _ Gary  _ \- of all people - to find us, we’re going to be here for a  _ while. _ ”

Ava turns around then and slams the can she’d been holding on the small counter, a cloud of dust lifting at her motion. She doesn’t seem to care. “I’m pretty sure Gary is more than capable at finding us, especially compared to your little band of idiots.”

“ _ ‘My little band of idiots’ _ , as you so nicely put it, has saved your ass more times that I can count. And Gary’s.” She takes a step closer to the other woman, followed by another, until she’s right in her personal space. “So if it so happens that they find us first, I wouldn’t recommend talking about them in that tone,  _ Agent Sharpe. _ You may end up stranded.”

The other woman straightens herself up at the words, her eyes as sharp as knives. “Is that a threat, Captain Lance?”

“No, just a piece of advice. Take it or leave it.”

They stare down at each other for what feels like an eternity, until Sara breaks eye contact to glance towards the small window at her left. The snow is falling heavily now, covering their surroundings in a blanket of white, and the natural light from outside has been nearly snuffed out. 

“I’m going to light a fire, it’s getting dark”, she quickly announces and moves away, busying herself with stacking the small wood blocks inside the fireplace. 

She doesn’t miss the strange look Ava shoots her way.

**

It’s pitch black outside when they manage to be civil enough to sit down together on the small couch, with a warm bowl of soup to wrap their hands around. Sara’s eyes are trained on the fire, but she’s well aware of the inquisitive pair of eyes that has been watching her every move. She feels a teasing remark dancing on the tip of her tongue, just begging to be let out, but the darkness outside only serves as a harsh reminder that the day is basically over and she’d spent her birthday stranded in some unknown place with the one person she absolutely loathes.

_ Karma has a strange way of getting payback _ , she muses as she takes yet another spoonful of the surprisingly decent soup to her lips.

She must have really fucked up this time.

Beside her, she feels Ava shift and when her gaze reluctantly moves from the fire to the other woman, she finds the agent facing her. 

“You’re quieter than usual,” Ava begins, her voice a touch softer than Sara is used to hear from her. “Something’s bothering you.”

“Yeah well, being stranded in some random place and snowed in was definitely  _ not  _ on my plans for today.”

She seems to consider Sara’s words for a bit, before she carefully asks. “You had plans for today?”

It’s hard for Sara to avoid the sarcasm that absolutely drips out of her next words. “Yeah I had plans, some of us  _ actually have a life  _ outside work.”

She regrets it as soon as it comes out, especially when she doesn’t miss the flash of hurt that crosses Ava’s features. But it’s gone as soon as it appears, and anger is all she’s faced with. “You know what? Forget it.” Ava slams the bowl down on the small table, with a bit more force than necessary. Sara doesn’t even flinch. “I don’t know why I was even bothering to show some compassion towards  _ someone like you. _ ”

“What do you mean,  _ someone like me _ ?”

Ava faintly gestures in Sara’s general direction. “Someone who doesn’t take anything seriously. Someone who doesn’t  _ actually care  _ about saving the world, unless she and her merry band of idiots can have fun while doing so.”

It stings.

It stings and Sara can’t help the way that tears begin to burn in her eyes, or the way her entire body start to shake with anger, because of course Agent Sharpe doesn’t see, doesn’t understand, that they’re putting their lives on the line every single day to make sure others are safe. That they’re putting their entire lives on hold for this job that feels so damn ungrateful right now. 

She wants to tell her that. 

She wants to tell her that and so much more. 

But she doesn’t, because there’s no way  _ Ava Sharpe  _ would understand. 

So instead she stands up and abandons her bowl of soup on the small table. “At least I live my life”, she lets out, voice shaking with an emotion she wished she could hide. “I bet you probably don’t have any plans for your own birthday, other than work.”

Sara doesn’t wait for a reply as she casts one last hurt glance towards Ava and walks out of the room, slamming the small bedroom door behind herself with more force than necessary. 

**

Morning light filters into the small room through the thin curtains and burns at her eyelids, and that’s when Sara realises she’d somehow fallen asleep. She straightens herself up and looks around, wondering just how she’d gotten into the bed in the first place. She remembers her argument with Ava vividly, remembers storming out of the room, remembers the door slamming, remembers slipping down and sitting with her back resting against the wall… But that’s it.

The answer presents herself to her when she catches sight of a family jacket pooled by her waist. 

_ Ava. _

The realization feels like a punch to the gut and makes Sara feel sick. The other woman had probably come to check on Sara somewhere during the night, found her hunched against the wall, moved her to the bed and gone as far as to shed her own jacket to make sure Sara was warm enough. 

All that while she’d been a complete ass to her the entire time they’d been stranded. 

Guilt churns in her stomach and she’s honestly contemplating making a run for it through the small window so she doesn’t have to face Ava and actually  _ apologise.  _ What would she even say?  _ ‘Hey Ava, sorry I was a complete dick to you but it was my birthday and I was sulking like a five-year-old’,  _ didn’t seem like it would cut it.

A very sweet smell slowly hits her nose and Sara is momentarily pulled out from her thoughts to wonder what it is and where it is coming from. She hears some clatter, followed by a colourful string of curses, and she can’t help but chuckle as she imagines little miss perfect Agent Sharpe actually using foul language, all because she dropped something. That, along with the way her stomach rumbles with hunger, almost makes her forget all her grievances and all the reasons she’s still inside the small bedroom.

_ Almost. _

She’s so busy with her inner arguments that she doesn’t notice the door open and doesn’t notice Ava walking in - that is, until the other woman lets out a surprised gasp and nearly drops whatever she’d been carrying.

“I’m sorry”, she hears her saying in a rushed manner. “I didn’t know you were awake.”

“I just woke up,” Sara lies. She takes that little time where Ava just awkwardly stands in the doorway to take in the other woman’s appearance, her flushed cheeks and messy bun, her white powdered nose… 

… and the tray she’s carrying that contains a small, freshly baked cake. 

Sara’s eyes go wide at the sight and she swallows audibly, gaze tentatively moving to meet Ava’s. “Did… did you just make that?”

It’s like Ava only just notices what she’s carrying for the first time, in the way her eyes go ridiculously wide when her gaze falls on the cake. Sara thinks her cheeks have coloured too, but it could just be a trick of the light. “Oh- yeah I mean, it’s nothing really special, it’s hard to make something without a proper functional oven and fresher ingredients, but you mentioned it was your birthday and well, I thought I would just make something to cheer you up a bit. I’m sorry it’s a bit burned on the bottom, that fireplace is really  _ not ideal  _ to bake stuff in-”

“Agent Sharpe-”

“Call me Ava.” She says, before adding. “Please. I think we’re a bit past formalities by now.” 

She’s completely taken aback by the request, but does her best not to show it. “Well,  _ Ava”,  _ she tries, and the first thing that comes to mind is how smooth the name rolls out of her tongue as she does. “You really didn’t have to go through all that trouble. But I’m glad you did.”

The other woman’s eyes go wide again. “Really?”

“Really.”

They’re both silent for a while after that, and Sara busies herself digesting what just transpired between them. Her eyes occasionally shift between the cake and Ava’s slightly flustered face, and something inside her chest leaps in a way it hasn’t in years. 

The feeling she gets from it is both terrifying and liberating.

Ava is the one that breaks the silence by cleaning her throat. Sara’s eyes are on hers in an instant. “Since you’re awake I guess you can have your cake in the other room.” She makes to turn around but pauses halfway the motion, and her nose scrunches up adorably. “Just don’t expect me to sing you  _ ‘happy birthday’ _ , my kindness has limits.”

Sara chuckles at her words as she watches Ava leave the room. “Wouldn’t expect otherwise,  _ Ava _ .” 


End file.
